Tripoli (dpa) – One person was killed and eight injured when gunmen attacked a rally of pro-federalists in the Libyan city of Benghazi, Libyan media reported Saturday, citing medical sources. Unknown people fired on a crowd gathering in Freedom Square in Benghazi late Friday to show support for the creation of a semi-autonomous region in eastern Libya, said New Qureena newspaper. The gunmen fired randomly on the crowd from the rooftops of the buildings surrounding the square, prompting a stampede by the crowd, including policemen, according to the report. Earlier this month, tribal leaders in oil-producing eastern Libya declared the region of Cyrenaica semi-autonomous, a move that has raised fears that the North African country could eventually break up. Efforts to revive Libya's federal system have put regional leaders at odds with the heads of the interim ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) who back decentralization, but oppose a federalist system. Mustafa Abdel Jalil, the NTC leader, has threatened to use force if necessary to keep Libya united. Ahmed al-Senussi, who was chosen by pro-federalists to head Cyrenaica's local council, has denied that the move meant separation or was motivated by a desire to control the region's oil. “Oil is for all Libyans. We do not want to control it,” he told dpa in a previous interview. “We will be under the country's army, but the administration of the region will be responsible for its police,” he added. The pro-federalists in Cyrenaica say their action is meant to end decades of marginalization under the rule of Muammar Gaddafi who was ousted in August 2011 in an armed conflict. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/K5Yi3 Tags: Federalism, Libya, Protest, Violence Section: Latest News, Libya, North Africa
